Qualities of a great leader

Great leaders encourage, inspire, and challenge us, but those leadership skills must be developed. Do you have what it takes to be a great leader?

Dr. Hans Finzel reviews the key success factors for effectively having influence, and the positive traits that all of us should master in order to lead well. Dr. Finzel says it’s important for all great leaders to be resilient, especially when things don’t go as planned.

“The “r” in leadership stands for resilience…it’s really the ability to bounce back. Resilience is being soft in spirit, not rigid, like a young flexible tree that bends when the winds blow. Tough things happen in life and so you have to learn to be flexible. That’s what resilience is, because you will fall flat on your face. The question is, what’s going to happen when you fall flat on your face? Are you going to get up, dust yourself off and keep going? Or are you going to quit; are you going to snap?”

Dr. Finzel reminds us that we are setting ourselves up for failure if we think that everything is going to go according to plan.

“Life is filled with right turns and left turns that are unexpected and things will not turn out the way you think they will. If you’re resilient and you trust God in the process, you’ll be fine.”

On top of carrying the spirit of resilience, great leaders have a true servant’s heart. Dr. Finzel explains the essence of servant leadership.

“My definition of a servant leader is when the leader cares more about the good of the team, than his or her own enrichment. The opposite of the servant leadership is selfish leadership; it’s all about me, my goals, my career, my success. Servant leadership is just an attitude that everybody’s important and if the team succeeds, I succeed. It’s not about ‘me’ it’s about ‘we.’”

To be a great leader you don’t have to be the president or CEO of a company. You can learn valuable leadership skills and traits to lead well at any age or stage of life.

Dr. Hans Finzel is a successful author, speaker and trusted authority in the field of leadership. For 20 years he served as President of international non-profit WorldVenture, working in over 65 countries. Hans speaks, writes and teaches on practical leadership principles from the real world—not just the classroom. He is author of several books including Top Ten Ways to Be a Great Leader.